22:25 - 6.07.2026

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July 6, Fineko/abc.az. Live testing of Cuba's first battery energy storage system (BESS) has commenced at the El Cotorro substation in Havana.

According to Ismael Ulloa Rodríguez, Deputy Director of the Electrical Industry Construction Company, the system successfully navigated technical evaluations following initial grid disturbances.

Key Technical Details and Objectives:

• Capacity: The facility features a 50 MW / 50 MWh capacity, designed to provide instantaneous grid stabilization and frequency regulation by responding to thermal plant failures or line faults within milliseconds.

• Solar Integration: The system will store surplus daytime solar energy to be discharged during peak night hours, directly supporting the integration of renewable energy sources.

Strategic Outlook: The Cotorro installation is the first of four planned 50 MW systems designed to deploy a combined 200 MW of storage capacity nationwide. This initiative aligns with Cuba's broader macro-program to construct over 90 solar power plants (nearly 2,000 MW) by 2028, aiming to reduce dependency on aging, fuel-constrained thermal generation.